Daniel Hall

Daniel Hall is a character in the Sandman comic book series written by Neil Gaiman.

An infant for the majority of the Sandman series, his origins date back to Morpheus' imprisonment by Roderick Burgess. The dream creatures known as Brute and Glob escaped from the Dreaming and set up the spirit of a deceased superhero, Hector Hall, as The Sandman in their own pocket of the Dreaming. Hector drew his pregnant wife, Lyta, into the Dreaming as well, where for years her unborn child was in virtual stasis.

When Morpheus eventually escaped from captivity and returned to the Dreaming, he learned of Brute and Glob's disappearance. Morpheus recaptured them and sentenced them to the darkness. He then sent Hector to the realm of the dead and returned Lyta to the world of the living. Before leaving her, he informed her that he would one day come to claim her unborn son, and advised her to take good care of him till then. [Sandman Vol. 2 #12]

Shortly after Lyta's son was born, Morpheus went to see the boy in the waking world. Here he once again confronted Lyta. He told her that her son's name was Daniel. [Sandman Vol. 2 #22]

About a year later, Daniel made his first real contact with the denizens of the Dreaming as he visited the House of Secrets in his dreams and met Cain, Abel, Matthew, Eve, Gregory, and Goldie. [Sandman Vol. 2 #40]

When Loki and Puck later kidnapped Daniel, they set in motion events that would have far-reaching consequences for the Lord of Dreams. The night after Lyta had found her son missing, she encountered the Furies in a dream. The Furies told her some details of Daniel's disappearance, and in the following days Lyta descended into a nervous breakdown. She came to the conclusion that Morpheus had taken her son. Lyta began a journey into the Dreaming where she encountered the Furies again. She then asked them to destroy the Dreamlord for taking her son. Lyta then made a deal to kill Morpheus for the murder of his own son and was possessed by the power of the Kindly Ones. Using these powers Lyta went on a rampage of destruction through the Dreaming.

Meanwhile Morpheus sent out Matthew and the newly re-created Corinthian to locate the boy, and they brought him to Dream's palace. Soon afterward, Lyta arrived intent on killing Morpheus. But when she found Daniel still alive, she had second thoughts, and went back to the Furies to call the deal off. The Furies, however, said that once they had been asked to revenge a blood debt there was no turning back.

Morpheus spoke to young Daniel before he went to confront the Kindly Ones, knowing the confrontation would result in his destruction. Morpheus' essence then was drawn to Daniel who was then transformed into the new Lord of Dreams.

Although Daniel was now Dream, he was at the same time a different entity than the previous incarnation.